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How will life change if the government banned everyone under the age of 18 from using social media?

With the advancing technology day by day, it makes the use of social media more effective with new features invented daily. Social media and the use of the internet is rampant among the youth where a child young at the age of two uses social media apps and has knowledge on how to use the internet. Social media is the online means of communication, conveyance, collaboration, and cultivation among interconnected people, communities, and organizations. There is a lot of interaction that goes on in social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. The government is considering to place a ban on the use of social media among children under the age of 18. Banning social media for those under the age of 18 will have intense effects on me and my fellow peers. The ban will have both negative and positive impact on my life and other teenagers.

Positive effects

I will be able to concentrate on my studies on other house chores. Social media make me glued to my phone to the extent that I forget I had homework or even I get to do it using little time so that I go back to Instagram. The same applies to YouTube, once I get to view one video, the suggestions that I am given makes me want to watch more and more only to realize that I have spent more than an hour watching videos on YouTube. My friends in school also complain of the same.

Also, banning social media protects me from fake news and scammers. Nowadays, social media is full of bloggers, cyberbullies and individuals who spread fake news that when used it, leads to contradictions. Cyberbullying is so common, and it can lead to one being stressed. Also, social media can ruin one’s life when it comes to employment since employers have realized that these are the best platforms for a background check. When using social media, I give the world a lot to know about me, and at one point I might become hangry and write abusive words which can be used against me by employers. Thus banning it means the world will have less to know about me.

Negative effects

Besides the good things the ban will do to me I still find that I will be affected negatively. First, it is through these platforms that I get to learn about my assignments through class groups and cooperate during group discussions. Through social media, I get to collaborate through group projects and other class assignments thus ban on it will limit me from this. It will mean looking for group members one by one to organize a meeting. It becomes hard to consult my classmates on an issue about homework while away from school. Also, social media helps me to air my views through platforms and school forums. We all have the freedom of expression that is we can contribute to our school management by giving opinions on our student leaders through the assigned forums. A ban on this will mean that minimal views will be aired out.

Social media helps me to interact with friends and family across the world. Some of my family members do not live in the same state with me; thus I have to reach them out through online messaging and calling apps which are cheaper. A ban on this will mean less communication because of other communication methods such as airmail, or use of service networks which are expensive. Lastly, we get news about the outside world through social media and other media platforms. Social media is the most accessible by teens since we always have our phones in our hands. I can view what is going on in the lives of my favorite celebrities which keeps me updated. Through social media, I get to know current fashion trends, trending music, and technological trends. A ban will mean staying behind news and trends.

Conclusively, instead of banning social media for those under 18 it is best for the government to ask parents to fill out forms of responsibility and those that allow they children under the age of 18 to use social media. This is so because there are both advantages and disadvantages of social media.